The Majority Leader of Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has filed an injunction application at the Supreme Court challenging a petition by Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu, following the decision by some four Members of Parliament to contest as independent candidates.
The former Minority filed a petition seeking to have Speaker Alban Bagbin declare the parliamentary seats for Suhum, Amenfi Central, and Agona West vacant due to the decision of the MPs from those constituencies to contest the 2024 elections as independent candidates.
He also asked the Speaker to declare the seat of Fomena MP, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, vacant following his decision to run for re-election under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ticket, despite having originally won his seat as an independent candidate.
The Majority Leader is seeking clarity on the matter and is praying to the apex court to resolve the matter.
The lawmaker and NP posited that a pronouncement by the Supreme Court would bring clarity and settle the ongoing controversies surrounding the affected parliamentary seats.
In his affidavit, the leader indicated that our laws prohibit by-elections within three months of a general election. Consequently, if Article 97 clause (1)(e) is strictly interpreted, the ruling party would lose three MPs, reducing their numbers from 138 to 135, while the opposition remains at 137.
He further argued that the shift would result in the opposition assuming majority status for the parliament’s final quarter, potentially altering the legislative landscape in the crucial pre-election period.
Meanwhile, he has filed for an interlocutory injunction to prevent the Speaker of Parliament from making any rulings on the MPs’ status until the court reaches a decision. He argues that premature action could cause “irreparable or irreversible damage” to these MPs by having their names expunged from the role of the 8th Parliament of the Republic of Ghana.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
